Five Websites Everyone Should Know About

This blog is intended for any operating system that has access to the internet!

These are five websites that I visit on a daily basis. Not all of them are related to technology, but since it involves the online web, we'll go ahead and say that the web is the technology reference for now!

=== BBC === Link: www.bbc.co.uk ===

No matter what field you practice in, keeping up with today's world is as important as ever. Though I use to follow CNN, Fox, and a few other news sites, I've found that BBC is the easiest way to keep up with happenings outside the United States. Sure, all news sites mention the rest of the world frequently, but they all seem to focus on the US. To be honest, I really find the rest of the world a bit more interesting. Plus, I still get the United States news since BBC has an 'America' section. The site is well organized and designed without 'fluff', so getting news doesn't involve sitting down and being absorbed into a TV, nor does it involve hours of internet scouring. I can just read what I want and walk back out the door I came in, so to speak.

With the current state of the world (over-complicated economic issues, frequent talk of a Global Warming phenomenon, history being made in the US presidential chain, chaotic fires in Australia, etc) there's plenty of news to keep up with. Though I can't say I keep up with every country, I do feel it's important to stay on top of large issues. With that said, I hope you enjoy the immense amount of information available on that site!

=== Give Away Of The Day === www.giveawayoftheday.com ===

I am on this site every day, and I make an effort not to miss anything. Free stuff is always nice! And this place has plenty of it. On a daily basis, they post some software for free, but after they post the next bit of software, all older software has a price tag on it. So, it's worth checking every day for about two minutes simply because it changes every day and has incredible offers. They have everything from audio & video editors to folder and file management, as well as PC health software. Even if you don't think you need the software they're giving away, download it anyways in case you know someone who can put it to good use. Or, suppose you expand your business or hobbies and suddenly need one of the programs that was offered recently? The first thing that comes to mind is "Hey, I downloaded that awesome software from the website Nick recommended for me! Great! Let's go use it!" See? It happens to the best of us, and the last thing you want is to think "Man, I'd love to convert MIDI files to MP3 files, or start my own task management system, but I forgot to download that software I saw the other day! Drat, now I need to pay $10/$30/$50/$100 for something I could have had for free!" I know I'd be mentally kicking myself for that. Enjoy! And happy software hunting.

SIDE NOTE: Sometimes, if you see something that is no longer free, you can search in Google for it and find another location where it's still available for free. Good luck!

=== Stumble Upon === www.stumbleupon.com ===

Aside from hours of entertainment, StumbleUpon is a great tool for learning about the magnitude of information out there in the online world and how you can find out literally anything online. After you create a quick account, fill out their profile quiz. Once that's done, you can start stumbling! (Or stumble without an account, but it's more of a general search) You can give a thumbs up and thumbs down for websites you found interesting or irrelevant, and read to your hearts content! This is how I learn about most of the tech-related material that I know. I stumble typically for an hour or so a day, and the knowledge I gain from that is almost always useful!

Also, I'd recommend installing their toolbar. Having to go to the website for stumbling doesn't really make sense if you do it often. The toolbar allows you to start stumbling no matter where you are in the online world. Enjoy!

=== Pandora === www.Pandora.com ===

Though I'd love to sit here and talk about how amazing Pandora is, I won't. Well, okay, maybe I will.

Pandora is the result of a project called the Music Genome Project. Yes, this is similar to the Human Genome Project. The difference, obviously, is music. All you have to do is type a song name or artist in, and Pandora takes care of the rest for you. It creates an online radio station for that song name or artist, and will play songs that are related to the content you typed in. For obvious copyright reasons, you can't just search for a song and play it. Instead, it will analyze the song of your choice and find key qualities that your song or artist has, and then match it up with other songs of similar features! Last time I checked, you get three free songs, then it will ask you to sign up. This is a very painless process for those who typically flee at the thought of signing up for something. Don't worry. I don't recommend scams or anything of the like. At the time of this writing, Pandora doesn't even email you a verification page to finish signing up. After that, you're good to go! Unlimited listening to your favorite music! Just remember, interact with Pandora frequently. Give a thumbs up or thumbs down on a few songs every now and then and you should be fine! Enjoy the endless world of music!

=== Digg === www.digg.com ===

This is yet another incredible knowledge tool. You can pick your favorite field and start reading. It's that simple. You don't have to sign up if you don't want to, but it seems like it's typically safe to sign up for. The security looks solid. Overall, Digg is a centralized location for knowledge and events. People will post news events as well as articles and story's! Happy reading!

The online world has so many ununsed capabilities. It makes me disappointed when I see that people overlook opportunity. Each of these five websites serve an intense, very deep purpose in my life. I'm a music lover, but I am also passionate about technology. I hope that you, the reader, can find a way to use these sites to your benefit!

Enjoy!

-Nick